As many disappointed gamers already know, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Unity released Tuesday for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, and it’s launch was just shy of catastrophic failure at best.
The game has been subject to a large amount of criticisms since its release, ranging from shoddy, unoptimized performance across all platforms to fierce accusations against Ubisoft by a variety of prominent gaming websites in regards to the use of Unity’s review embargo to hide the game’s multitude of technical issues from avid fans of the Assassin’s Creed franchise.
It would be, at this time, safe to say that Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed launch day surpassed the negative firestorm associated with another Ubisoft title released earlier this year, Watch_Dogs.
With the previous information in mind, alongside a number of other gaming controversies, many gamers suggested that Ubisoft is set to take the title of “worst game company” from former villain, EA (who was voted the worst company in America twice).
Read more regarding the recent Ubisoft fiasco…and their response after the break.
Ubisoft Responds To Criticism
There is no doubt that 2014 has been Ubisoft’s worst year in terms of public reception to date.
Below is a brief overview of some of the controversies the company has been subject to this year:
- May 2014 – Ubisoft is accused of downgrading the visuals of the highly anticipated Watch Dogs as compared to its gorgeous E3 2012 reveal trailer, much to the dissatisfaction of gamers around the world.
- June 2014 – Ubisoft is struck with controversy regarding the lack of female playable characters in Assassin’s Creed Unity, going so far as to state that adding them would be “too much work.”
- October 2014 – Ubisoft reveals that Unity will have parity (i.e. locked at 900p/30fps) between both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One version of the game.
In response to the current situation, Ubisoft has, not surprisingly, stated that they are working on fixing various issues within Assassin’s Creed Unity.
In a recent live blog post that went up today, Ubisoft said:
“We are currently working on our next update that will help address some of the specific issues some players are having including: [the protagonist] Arno falling through the ground; game crashing when joining a co-op session; Arno getting caught inside of hay carts; delay in reaching the main menu screen at game start.“
Ubisoft went on to state that the fact that Assassin’s Creed Unity is a cooperative multiplayer title, and inherent complexity associated with such a game was the reason that Unity’s embargo lasted so long after its official launch.
In response to accusations by customers saying that Unity‘s review embargo was imparted due to a lack of respect for gamers and customers, a Ubisoft spokeswoman stated:
“The nature of games themselves and the way they are being reviewed is changing, as evidenced by games like Assassin’s Creed Unity, Destiny and The Crew – games that have significant online components.
Having the online elements available and having populated worlds is essential to creating a representative and complete experience for reviewers. Achieving this prior to launch is incredibly complex, which is why some games are being reviewed much closer – or as was the case with Destiny, even after – the game launches.”
However, in a following statement (seen below), Ubisoft claims that they are changing their review policies, and will offer customers opportunities to be part of open betas or early access programs for future games.
“We are working to adapt our services and communications with consumers accordingly, both by changing the way we work with reviewers and by offering customers open betas or other early access to some games, all so that they have the information they need and want.”
What are your thoughts on Ubisoft’s response to the recent Assassin’s Creed Unity debacle? Is it simply damage control and PR, or is it an earnest gesture that they will follow up on in the future?
Let us know in the comments section below! As always, stay tuned to GamerHeadlines.com for the latest in video game and technology news.